Nebraska Football 2018 Season Preview/Predictions

Pick, Prediction, & Preview:

Over/Under 6 Wins vs Nebraska Cornhuskers

A change was needed for a storied program like the Nebraska Cornhuskers and change was delivered as they were able to return one of the best young masterminds in Scott Frost who returns home after a short stay at UCF. Nebraska has been MIA in terms of national contender status over the last 15 years or so but Scott Frost brings a new approach to the Huskers as he has an aggressive upbeat offensive system and a solid recruiting ground to work with. Nebraska may go through some growing pains this year under the new systems and one of the spots that is a concern of many people in the Huskers program is the quarterback position. Whoever is taking snaps for Nebraska should be in okay shape considering they return some major playmakers at the skill position and a rejuvenated offensive line who should benefit in the new upbeat offense. The defensive side of the ball will need the most work after the Huskers ranked dead last in the Big Ten in almost every major statistical category. They return most of their starters from 2017 and defensive coordinator Erik Chinander should have this team in much better shape this season after what he showed at UCF last year. Scott Frost left UCF right after they won their bowl game against Auburn which makes his recruiting progress one of the most impressive stories of the offseason. Scott Frost was able to lure in the 4th ranked recruiting class in the Big Ten as he was able to sign six 4-star recruits to his first class at Nebraska.

Over/Under 6 Wins's Latest Performance :

Nebraska underachieved last season under Mike Riley as they ended the season 4-8 and only the 2nd missed bowl appearance since 2005, but the talent is still there and Nebraska has a guy at the helm who should bring them back to the promise land. The question marks for Nebraska reside at the quarterback position and the whole defensive side of the ball which has prompted oddsmakers to set the over/under at 6 wins.

Battle-Tested

Scott Frost had the occasional power 5 schools on his schedule at UCF but he conquer a much bigger task at Nebraska as week in and week out there will be tough opponents. Nebraska wants to start climbing their way out of the bottom of the Big Ten West but their schedule will make that an unreasonable goal this season. The Huskers will have arguably the toughest road schedule out of any team in the Big Ten as they will have to travel to Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ohio State 3 of the top teams in the conference. Nebraska will also be well tested in their non-conference schedule as they will see a bowl team in the Akron Zips, a PAC-12 squad in Colorado, and Troy who is coming off an upset at LSU last season. Nebraska will host Purdue, Minnesota, Illinois, and Michigan State at home but even that can be a close game for Scott Forst. If Nebraska wants to make a statement this season they will have to pull off an upset against the best of the Big Ten teams.

Nebraska Cornhuskers's Latest Performance :

The Nebraska Cornhuskers return a ton of talent on the offensive side of the ball but Scott Frost will be tasked with a tough task already as he will need to find his starting quarterback of the future. Tanner Lee threw for over 3000 yards last season but the Jacksonville Jaguar struggled in taking care of the ball as he threw 16 interceptions last season. Scott Frost was able to convince 4-star QB Adrian Martinez to come to Nebraska over the likes of Alabama, Georgia, and Oklahoma and expect the true freshmen to start this year considering his dual-threat capabilities fit perfect in the Scott Frost offense. The ground attack should benefit in 2018 as Frost had his running backs exploding for big runs at UCF and that falls into the alley of Tre Bryant who averaged 5.9 YPC last season. The quarterbacks will have a variety of targets to throw to this season as they return the top 2 receivers from 2017 in Stanley Morgan and JD Spielman. The duo combined for over 1800 receiving yards and 12 TDs last season but they showed their big-play capabilities as they averaged 15.7 YPC which is similar numbers to UCF’s receivers last season. The Cornhuskers have had their fair share of defensive coordinators (3 in 5 years) but they should take a step forward in the 3-4 scheme this season. Chris Weber was a force in the run game last season as he led the team with 87 tackles but his eligibility clock ran out and he leaves a big hole to fill at the outside linebacker position. Ben Stille led the teams in sacks (3.5) last season from the defensive end spot but he has put on weight and gained some speed this past offseason which prompted the move to the outside linebacker spot. Aaron Williams is the top defensive back returning for Nebraska and he will become the leader of this defense after having 2 interceptions in his junior season. Nebraska has lured in some solid 4-star prospects at the defensive end spot but they also made some moves in the grad transfer market which should improve one of the worst Big Ten units.

Player To Watch

Cameron Jurgens, TE, Fresh.

The TE position in the Scott Frost offense is different from your typical run blocker as the position is often used as a big body pass catcher and the one guy who should benefit in that offense is Jurgens. Nebraska just lost 2 tight ends to transfer which leaves only a hand full of guys on the roster with 2 of them being freshmen which could prompt them into playing time early on. Jurgens was the #1 recruit out of the state of Nebraska and the 6’3 pass catcher should be a solid security blanket for whoever is taking snaps for the Nebraska offense this season.

How Over/Under 6 Wins & Nebraska Cornhuskers Matchup.

Vegas Odds, Offshore Odds, & Odds ATS:

Over 6 Wins -110

Under 6 Wins -110

In-Depth Analysis of each team:

9/1- Akron- W

9/8- Colorado- W

9/15- Troy- W

9/22- @ Michigan- L

9/29- Purdue- W

10/6- @ Wisconsin- L

10/13- @ Northwestern- L

10/20- Minnesota- L

11/3- @ Ohio State- L

11/10- Illinois- W

11/17- Michigan State- W

11/23- @ Iowa- L

Overall Record- 6-6

Against The Spread Selection: Push, Lean Under 6 Wins -110

My reason for the pick :

Nebraska fans are expecting Scott Frost to kick the doors down of the Big Ten West and make the conference championship game in his first season as they are anxious for a successful season but they rebuild is just getting underway. Nebraska will have to break in a new QB this season which will be no easy task against some of the defenses they will see this season, and on top of that, the whole offense will go through some growing pains as they have a new scheme to learn. The reason I say lean under the 6 win mark for the Huskers is because I have them upsetting Michigan State at home in what will be the first big win in the Frost era but take that with a grain of salt as Michigan State is consistently one of the best teams in the Big Ten and they could potentially blow the doors off Nebraska if they are prepared. Nebraska could also struggle in one of their non-conference matchups as they are seeing opponents who are not scared of the big stage. Nebraska will be a top team in the Big Ten West in the coming years but that is still too far out to say they will be one of the best this season. Expect Nebraska to flirt around the 6 win mark but if you are betting on it go with the under.

Betting trends for Over/Under 6 Wins:

Betting trends for Nebraska Cornhuskers:

Anthony

I am a sports enthusiast and watch every sport from the NFL to the NHL with everything in between. I have followed sports since I was a young kid and have studied deep into statistics for teams, and players. I am always looking for transactions within sports and find in an interest in every game. Playing every sport growing up has led me to understand every game and look for certain trends and stats.